NUMBER PORTABILITY: BLESSING OR CURSE

Like a new born baby, a new term has entered our national lexicon: mobile number portability. And suddenly, the media is awash with commercials offering number portability. GSM network operators are poised to begin intense competition with one another for quality service and subscriber loyalty. Nigerians are more than ever before faced with new choices. Stick with your network operator or switch to a better one. Is that really the case? Or is it simply a question of switch to just another, any other?

The four GSM companies in Nigeria have all rolled out adverts offering number portability service to receive new customers. MTN boasts its wide coverage and signal strength. Airtel Nigeria prides itself on its customer care service ranked top in the country while also offering the Airtel talk feature. Globacom is not left out with its low tariff plans and mobile internet. Last and not least is Etisalat with its many bonuses and freebies. No one network offers everything all at once. You either have what you presently enjoy or you leave what you presently enjoy to get what you think you should be enjoying.

But there are shortcomings too. All the networks periodically experience temporal network challenges. Outbound calls from some networks suffer congestion on occasion. Dropped calls on another network have become an increased occurrence while slow SMS delivery from the other network is a major source of concern for subscribers on that network. There are more questions to be answered than is currently being asked by this new number portability option.

Already, Ghana and Kenya had the service in place a few years ago. Nigeria is yet again playing catch up. Nigeria announced the service but had technical challenges with the readiness of its clearing house – Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited. Number portability or porting refers to the process of switching network operators whilst retaining one’s existing number. The user however, has to purchase a new SIM and wait 48 hours according to the Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited. http://www.interconnectnigeria.com

For a service based sector, competition is bound to be stiff. Innovation, creativity and enterprise is expected to peak till the industry is bereft of any new ideas. Subscribers are to become network evangelists urging off-net subscribers to port to their network. Some will port for the same reasons others will not. Apparently, subscriber indecision will occur. Some subscribers will stick and wish they can switch yet do not. Other will and then wish to return but have to wait 90 days. 

Suppose one network is perceived as offering the best indices (lower tariffs, fast, stable call connectivity to all networks, fast and efficient internet and then a decent customer care service along with regular freebies)? Imagine a scenario where Network X offers all the above and more value added features and the majority ports to that network; will any of the operators be able to accommodate that number of new entrants and remain stable? That is a question to be answered in time.

Infrastructure improvements by the networks will reach top notch as no operator wants to “carry last”. The Nigerian is ready for portability but are the operators ready? Are they really prepared? Knowing that no operator offers it all is one thing to bear in mind as the wooing will blow a little service out of proportion to the uninformed subscriber tired of where he is and thinks number porting will cure his frustration.

The operators should rather than begin a competition to woo subscribers from other operators work hard to ensure subscriber loyalty rather than look to increase a market share and worsen its service due to congestion. The National Communications Commission must not go to bed at this time. It is not enough to assume that subscribers can port to a performing network, regulation and subscriber exploitation are responsibilities that must not be discarded on the altar of mobile number portability. 

Already, operator executives admit there will be challenges with the expected rush. More importantly, the executives are also concerned about subscriber loyalty. Some subscribers who began trying to port today have received error messages. Somewhere, a network subscriber took to social network to vent his frustration “@habadeleye: This is not how to encourage us to port. Network has been terrible all day. #saka @MTN180

MTN’s decision to port Afeez Oyetoro alias Saka from Etisalat is seen everywhere as the real explanation of mobile number portability. Saka before now was the star actor for Etisalat’s commercials on radio and television. The actor suddenly is seen dancing on stage in a new commercial for MTN. He dances as though his life depends on it. The wordings of the commercial though are very powerful. “I don upgrade to MTN.”  No doubt other networks have to work their advertizing agencies and copywriters to come up with equally compelling copies or scripts. The Saka’s port has been trending on social network Twitter since the commercial was released.

Nigerians are all up and ready to port. Some Nigerians though are not. They have had a hard time with all the operators and wished until now for the mobile number portability. The operators all claim they are ready and eager for the challenge. It is hoped that the ultimate winner will be the Nigerian subscriber because up until now, he has had a hard time with all the operators. Mobile number portability does not look like the instant cure for poor operator performance. It might only lead to operator improvement and hopefully, in that there is succor.

Only time will tell whether the mobile number portability option in Nigeria will be a blessing or curse.